I failed the Granny Test! UGH!

I failed! I failed miserably! I'm even failing as I write this blog....

You see I went to church last night for a special Seder presentation. That's not the failure....

And I just got back from Michigan.....here it is....wait.....

I got bombarded by all the wonderful grannys at my church....they wanted pictures! ugh! I wasn't prepared. Even this morning I guess I should be downloading more current pictures of that sweet baby on my iphone so I can share it with the world today at church....but here I am reflecting instead. I am such the failure! :)

NO I'M NOT!

The way that God created me I have learned that I don't multitask very well. I have a hard time documenting AND investing. A lot of my friends do this very well. I'm jealous. I can't. I've tried. I do one well and am a failure at the other. I've tried.

I don't have many pictures of my kids while they are growing up and most of the pictures that I do have are in a box...kind of organized (just ask Kirsten, she tried looking for them last summer). I have some up around my house in picture frames, but none are in those albums I had bought. You see, I decided a long time ago that I'd rather play with my kids than record everything. I loved playing with my kids. We'd go on "hikes" (well around the neighborhood), and jump in puddles and I'd take them to the pool (I'd stay in the shade most of the time not to burn) and we'd go to the beach and watch cartoons together and color and do homework (well, I'd grade and they'd do homework) at the dining room table and we'd cook (or I'd cook and they hung out) and I'd go to their games (a lot of games, I considered myself their number one fan. When I wasn't able to go I'd pray the whole time) and....you get the picture (well, there's no picture, but you do know what I mean, don't you?).

So when I went to MI this past week I packed my camera, even took it out...but I don't think that I have one new picture on it. I did take a few on my iphone. But I was busy! I was holding Elsie and changing Elsie and feeding Elsie (that's my new sweet grand daughter!). And I was hanging out with David and Amber and learning all about their wedding plans and walking around Frankenmuth with them. And I was cooking with Kirsten and feeding her food that she misses and buying her the best fudge in the world. And I was talking with Bethany and hugging Bethany (well, I was hugging them all) and washing their dishes and doing their laundry and checking out Joel's new pictures. And Dave was hurting his back ( :) )as he tried to keep up with Joel and the rest of the guys when I was with Bethany and the baby.

I'm sure that my life will not be documented too much by pictures. In fact, I'm pretty confident of that fact. So later generations will not know that I'm there very much...but I hope that my kids and my grandkids will know. I think they will. I hope they will.

*disclaimer: for my wonderful friends who do document...you do it very well and I am jealous! I love you and want to be more like you! :)

"Oh Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!" Psalm 98:1a

ER: a place where time stands still

"As people of Providence we reveal God's love for all, especially the poor and vulnerable, through our compassionate service."

I've only been to the emergency room for my family a few times, twice with Dave. The emergency room is not my favorite place to be. Since coming to Idaho, with Dave being a full time pastor now for over 5 years, I've been to the ER with him to visit our church family and it is a little easier in that I know more of what to expect. It is different when it is your own family though. One night last week I spent several hours with my husband in the Emergency Room in Seaside, Oregon. We were at Providence Hospital where the above quote is their mission statement. Dave and I were really impressed with the compassionate service that everyone in the ER had for him. The people at Providence treated Dave with respect and compassion. They found out what was wrong, gave him a plan of treatment and sent us on our way. Dave is still recovering. He should be well soon. The main things that I learned in our time in ER was the waiting, the trust and doing what you say. The waiting: It seemed like time stood still. I am sure Dave thought it did since he was in so much pain. I knew that they were full and we had to wait. Obviously everyone ahead of Dave must have been worse off than he was that is why we needed to wait. No need to get impatient. We simply needed to wait. I know in my own life I get impatient with God sometimes. I think that He just doesn't do what I think He should in the timing of my liking. This time in the ER reminded me again that I need to wait. I need to wait with patience. I need to remember that I don't know the whole story and I simply need to wait. "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint." (Isaiah 40:31) The trust: In the ER I had to trust the timing of the doctors and nurses. After all, they had just looked at Dave and saw him in his pain. I had to keep trusting that they wouldn't forget him there and that everyone else was just in worse condition or they would surely see Dave sooner. Again, in my personal walk with the Lord, I sometimes grow impatient because I forget to trust. This is foolish of me really. The creator of the universe is trustworthy! I don't have to understand everything, nor do I think that I ever really will. That's ok though. God has shown himself faithful in His recorded words in the Bible, in the lives of His followers throughout the ages and in my personal life as well. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8) Do what you say: The ER department of Providence Hospital in Seaside, OR did what their mission statement said. They had compassionate care. Do I do what I say? Is what I say noteworthy or honorable before God? What is my personal mission statement that I want to live out each day? The apostle James says that "faith, by itself, if not accompanied by actions, is dead." (James 2:17) This was probably the biggest challenge and something I thought about while waiting in ER and into this week. What do I say and what do I do? Do my actions reflect what I say? What is it that I'm saying anyway?